As Trump narrows his vice-presidential search, the shortlist is nearly all men
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US Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio is said to have the backing of Donald Trump’s eldest son.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – When the topic of Donald Trump’s potential running mate arose at a Manhattan fund-raiser last week, the Republican presidential candidate gave high marks to contenders including North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Senator Tim Scott.
Some of the wealthy donors said Trump should select former primary rival Nikki Haley as his No. 2. But ties between the two soured over her having challenged him, although she did serve as his loyal United Nations ambassador for two years while he was president.
Trump largely dismissed the idea and suggested the group move on, said two donors familiar with the interaction.
The 77-year-old previously expressed an interest in choosing a woman as his running mate for the Nov 5 election, and some allies urged him to do so
Trump’s standing with that important voting bloc was further muddled by his conviction last week in a New York trial
His current vice-presidential shortlist, however, is nearly all men, according to nine people who have talked with Trump or his team in recent weeks, including donors, lobbyists and campaign operatives.
Senators J.D. Vance of Ohio and Marco Rubio of Florida have emerged as leading contenders for the vice-presidential nod, said the nine people, who requested anonymity to recount private conversations.
Several of those people said Mr Burgum and South Carolina’s Mr Scott remain in contention, while Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Representative Elise Stefanik of New York are dark horse contenders, two people said.
Trump’s team has sent vetting materials to top contenders, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, a step first reported by NBC News. Mr Rubio, Mr Burgum and Ms Stefanik are among those who received the materials, sources told Reuters.
Several sources emphasised the fluid nature of vice-presidential deliberations, saying new names can quickly enter and exit the conversation.
Trump said there is a “good chance” he will announce a running mate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in mid-July. His campaign declined to share specifics on the search.
“Anyone claiming to know who or when Trump will choose his vice-president is lying, unless the person is named Donald Trump,” said Trump senior adviser Brian Hughes.
More popular among men
Throughout his term in office and during his 2024 campaign, Trump has proven significantly more popular among men than women, a gender gap many in his orbit are eager to close. In a comment to NBC in September 2023, Trump said he liked the “concept” of a woman running mate.
“Women will determine the outcome of this election. The only real solution for Trump is a woman,” said a source briefed on the deliberations, who lamented how few women were being seriously considered.
Two people who recently spoke to Trump said he wants to have personal chemistry and the ability to get along with his possible vice-president.
They said the former president believes a No. 2 pick is more likely to hurt a candidacy than substantially help it.
As a result, they said, he is looking for a steady operator rather than a potentially risky choice that could end up hurting his chances of taking back the White House from President Joe Biden.
Mr Biden, a Democrat, is running again with Vice-President Kamala Harris, the first woman to serve in that role.
Trump’s former vice-president, Mr Mike Pence, publicly broke with Trump over the then President’s role in the Jan 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol will not endorse his former boss
Some of the women Trump has considered for the Republican ticket this time have made missteps that took them largely out of contention, according to the conversations with the nine people in contact with Trump or his advisers.
Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota was widely criticised after she disclosed in an autobiography that she killed a dog over obedience issues
While many campaign financiers have pushed Trump to select Ms Haley, a more traditional conservative who has longstanding ties with the donor community, other advisers have pushed back publicly, including Mr Donald Trump Jr, who one source said was partial to Mr Vance.
Ms Haley is one of the few high-profile Republicans to remain silent after Trump was found guilty last week. She was Trump’s last rival in a contentious Republican primary but in May said she would vote for him in November. REUTERS
